Avocado-Feta Salsa

by Jan Drexler


Yes, you read that right - Avocado and Feta together in a salsa.

It's fabulous!

I first shared this recipe five years ago, but was reminded of it last week when the ladies of our church had our quarterly fellowship meal. One of my friends - I never did find out who - made a salad with a black bean salsa, and it was delicious. That's when I thought I should find this recipe again....

Start here:

Avocado, tomato, red onion and cilantro. Chop it all up.

And then add a bit of this:

Throw in some garlic and a bit of oregano, and then mix it all together with a splash of olive oil and some apple cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar - whatever you have handy).

And here's the hard part.

Refrigerate for 2 to 6 hours.

*tap, tap, tap*

And then it's good to go! You can eat it with tortilla chips, pita chips, or.....

Twice-baked Zucchini Rounds! 

Take one of those big zucchinis - you know, the ones that were hiding in your garden until they're gargantuan size and you don't know what to do with them - and slice a few 1/4" thick rounds.

Cover both sides with olive oil, and bake on a cookie sheet for 5 minutes or so at 375°. Then take them out of the oven and top them with your favorite combo. I used the Avocado-Feta Salsa. Stick them back in the oven and broil them for a few minutes, or until the cheese starts melting.

(2018 update - You could do the same thing with eggplant rounds. Oh, my, I'm getting hungry!)

Delicious!

I had a few of these for lunch with my Salmon with Garlicky Spinach (recipe here). It was a low-carb extravaganza!

And last week I put the salsa on my hamburger - now that was delicious!

(2018 update - don't forget, you can also toss the salsa in with your favorite salad greens.)

Okay, I know I need to give you the official recipe:

Avocado-Feta Salsa

(originally from AllRecipes.com)

Ingredients:

1 plum tomato, chopped

1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped

2 Tablespoons finely chopped red onion

1 clove garlic, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)

1 teaspoon oregano

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon vinegar (apple cider vinegar, or red wine vinegar)

2 Tablespoons crumble feta cheese

Mix together gently. Cover and chill for 2 to 6 hours.

Now, doesn't that sound easy? And so, so good. ;-)

What others ways can you think of to use this salsa - or any salsa?

Jan Drexler lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her husband and growing family. When she isn't writing, she loves hiking in the Hills or satisfying her cross stitch addiction.

You can find Jan on Facebook, Jan Drexler, author, or her website, Jan Drexler.com.

A Visit to the Pacific Islands: Kelaguen

by Jan Drexler

I have a summer re-run for you today. Between writing, heat, and allergies, I haven't been doing much cooking this summer. We haven't even gone hiking in more than a week!

As I was looking for some no-cook recipes, I came across this one that I shared several years ago. I think it's time to make it again!

(I also love the cute corgi photo-bomb at the end!)

Here we go, back in time to 2014....Enjoy!

Kelaguen

Because of my husband's job as a hospital food service director, he goes to a lot of food blogs. And he comes into contact with a lot of different recipes.

Recipes he rarely brings home!

So imagine my surprise when he gave me this recipe a couple summers ago!

He says the guy who posted the original recipe on the blog is from the Philippines. I Googled the dish, and learned that it's found all over the Pacific Islands.

Originally, it seems the islanders used this recipe to ferment seafood - basically "cook" it in acid and salt. When other meat sources were introduced to the islands, the recipe was adapted to include them. Even Spam! 

The version I make uses cooked chicken.

Kelaguen

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked, diced chicken

1 hot pepper, diced

1 small onion, diced

1/4 cup lemon juice (or juice of 2 lemons)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut - dried or fresh

Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate for at least two hours. Serve with warm tortillas or with a green salad.

Since this is an ancient recipe, pretty much anything goes.

Use whatever meat - or even tofu - you choose. I use diced, cooked chicken breasts. You can also use seafood, beef, canned tuna...whatever!

Use whatever pepper you want - or even none. I like the zing a hot pepper gives the dish - although I don't like too much of it. I used one of these - I think it's a Serrano?

Green Bell Peppers would work well, too.

And, of course, for the coconut I used some of the huge bag that I dug into last week to make my Delightful Coconut Dreams (recipe here).

Paired with a green salad, this makes a wonderfully quick, nutritious cold dish for summer!

Someone else thinks so, too!

What's your favorite go-to dish for hot summer days?

Jan Drexler lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her husband and growing family. When she isn't writing, she loves hiking in the Hills or satisfying her cross stitch addiction.

You can find Jan on Facebook, Jan Drexler, author, or her website, Jan Drexler.com.

Summer Rerun: Jan's Pico de Gallo

Jan here, under the weather with a summer cold. It's been a family affair, passed from one to another, with varying degrees of feeling lousy.

So I'm eating this:

And meanwhile, you can enjoy a rerun recipe from 2012.

Believe me, when I feel like eating again, I'll be making some!



Jan's Pico de Gallo

(original posting August 6, 2012)

We’ve been talking about cilantro quite a bit the past few weeks, and it made me start craving Pico de Gallo. There are tons of recipes for Pico, but one thing all of them have in common is cilantro.

*Rabbit trail warning: Did you know that when the cilantro goes to seed in your garden, the seeds are called coriander? Another delicious spice, and it’s mentioned in the Bible: “Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.” Exodus 16:31 – now doesn’t that sound delicious?

A couple things about the ingredients – 

I use Roma tomatoes because they have more flesh and are firmer when you chop them. I always get rid of the tomato guts when I make Pico – just slice the tomato in half and hollow it out. The flesh that’s left is firm and will hold its shape in the mixture.

If you aren’t familiar with tomatillos, they’re like little green tomatoes wearing jackets. You know a tomatillo is ready to use when its papery jacket is dry and starting to split. To use the tomatillo, take it out of its jacket, wash it, and remove the stem with the point of a knife. Then just slice and chop it.

I used Anaheim chilies in this batch of Pico, because that’s what I had in the freezer. You could use any hot pepper – jalapeno, Serrano, habanero – as long as it isn’t so hot you don’t want to eat it. The Anaheims are a bit milder than the others. Oh, and make sure you wear gloves when handling hot peppers (I keep disposable latex gloves on hand), and remove ALL the seeds.

And the final hint – when I’m chopping veggies like tomatoes (firm skins, tender flesh), I always use a serrated knife – actually an old steak knife from who knows where (I had it before we were married thirty years ago). The serrated knife cuts through the outer skin without crushing the more tender flesh of the fruit or veggie.

Ingredients (makes about 4 cups of Pico de Gallo):

3 Roma tomatoes

2 Tomatillos

1 Jalapeno pepper, Anaheim Chile or other hot pepper to taste

¼ Bell pepper (green, yellow or red)

¼ onion – yellow will be stronger than white

¼ cup chopped Cilantro, or more – I tend to use more like ½ cup

1 Tablespoon lime juice

Salt to taste

Chop the tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers and onions to uniform sizes – I like anywhere between ¼” to ½”.  Stir together. Isn’t it pretty? Like Christmas, or the Mexican flag!

Stir in the chopped cilantro, and then the lime juice. Taste it, and salt it if needed.

Cover the bowl and let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving to let the flavors blend.

Serve with chips, or on tacos, or as a garnish for enchiladas, or as a topping for salad …

What’s your favorite way to use Pico de Gallo?